Suzanne Carillo

As one of a number of style bloggers over 50 we often preach about how wearing the right clothes can lift your spirits and prime you for a successful happy day.

What you don’t often hear from us is that sometimes clothes aren’t enough.

When The Inside Doesn’t Match The Outside

Social media and blogging in general are fickle friends.

As bloggers we like to say that we do it for ourselves or the love of sharing but there isn’t one blogger I know that doesn’t care about being validated for their efforts. Everyone wants to know they are making a difference on some level.

Satisfaction is elusive when relying on outside forces to fulfill us.

We wonder about our place on earth and our usefulness. A person can feel very small and want to curl up in bed and never leave.

We all get the blues every now and then.

I define the blues as a brief period when you don’t feel quite like yourself and are negative about things in general. This is usually when life isn’t going your way or we feel like no one is hearing us.

Hopefully this is when putting on fun clothes will help improve your mood and feelings of self worth.

When To Seek Help

When that brief period of the blues stretches into weeks and you no longer take any joy in all of things you once loved, apathy is your best friend, motivation is a foreign word and you’ve lost even the tiniest inkling of hope it is time to see a mental health professional. Putting on some fun clothes won’t be enough. You need to be your own best advocate for your health. It’ll be the last thing you’ll feel like doing but being proactive and taking steps towards finding a solution is better than crippling immobility where the darkness can swallow you whole.

I’m sharing this because a friend of mine that is normally very up beat, jovial and positive recently admitted that she was going through a difficult time.

She looked fantastic on the outside.  Her external image didn’t hint to the internal conflicts within.  It is a good reminder that although we present our best versions of ourselves online and to those around us it doesn’t necessarily depict what is truly happening in our minds and lives.

The clothes that we use to cover our skin can make a positive impact on our self esteem but they won’t address deep routed feelings of inadequacy or self worth.

Linking up with the lovely Patti over at Visible Monday.

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